Read passage and answer questions below.
Fargo was more dangerous last year than any of the past five years. That information from the Fargo Police Annual report where we learned last year's 16% increase is thirteen times higher than the previous year's 1.2% percent increase. A public report revealed the truth in Fargo crime. Seven types of crimes are increasing, in some cases, by 58% while three categories were down. Why the city is seeing such a drastic increase is still unknown, but police are working to find out. Aggravated assault, arson, burglary, vehicle theft, the list can go on and on and the numbers are going up and up. However, police were in more homes last year with 74,000 calls for service. "Obviously we don't like to see an increase in crime period. However, we recognize there are some of those factors that are out of control and it's how we react to those increases." Police say some of the reasons for the increase can include more people living in the city, along with increased drug and mental health problems. "A five-year trend is a more appropriate way to look at crime rates, and we are above that five-year trend when it comes to burglaries, vehicle thefts, and aggravated assaults, so we have work we need to do," said Anderson. However, homicide, gross sexual imposition and robbery were all down from the previous year. "It's hard to say why those are down. When dealing with homicides and crimes of passion, those are things the police won't have a lot of influence over." With the number of officers per 1,000 below the national average in Fargo, police say combating crime is a work in progress. "There are things that we know we have to work on, the thefts have always been an issue, and the burglaries are always a cause for concern for us, but rest assured we will get those numbers down the best we can," said Anderson. Many say the department should simply add more officers, but police don't know if that will actually help, and the agency is constrained by its budget, currently set at $17 million.
Identify the major factors that contributed to such a prominent crime trend within Fargo Police Department’s jurisdiction. What research method would you employ to work toward a solution to alleviate the problem and why? what decision would you make to reduce the impact of crime on the surrounding community?